Intravenous
by Spoilerwolf
Summary: Tag to Fresh Blood. Slight AU. Some secrets lie beneath the skin, and one hunter is about to find out just how deep that secret goes.


**A/N: I'm back!! lol. Well after watching this episode I felt it needed a little more action than the one hour we were allotted. So this is what my imagination came up with!! I definitely have to give a shout out to Dev, who beta'd for me once again and whose help and support was always readily available. To Funky and Amy, whom always showed me constant support, and that was something I could not have gone without while writing this story. And really, all three of them put up with me bickering and grumbling about getting this done, lol. Thanks guys!!**

**Disclaimer: Must I say it? Okay fine. I do not own the boys. Kripke does.**

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o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Sam followed behind his brother, who guided the terrified woman by the arm out of the dank and rusted factory. Their senses were on high alert, just waiting for Gordon to ambush them.

"Sam, stay close!" Dean grounded out, as he lifted the girl into his arms, her legs unable to hold herself up any longer.

Sam picked up the pace and followed his brother towards the door, machete held in a tight grip in his right hand. Sam knew that Gordon was hiding there somewhere, waiting to strike when least expected. His mere presence caused the hairs on his neck to stand on end, as the sensation of being watched intensified. All of a sudden, the silence ended with the shrill sound of a metal gate coming down in front of Sam, effectively cutting the brothers off from one another as it hit the ground and stayed in place.

Dean turned around and set the girl down as he yelled out to his brother. "Sam!"

"Dean!" Dean kicked at the metal barrier, now keeping his brother captive on the other side. Fear kick-started the adrenaline as Dean glared at the now condemning door.

"Damn it Sam!" Sam heard the frustration leak out of Dean's voice as well as the failed attempt to hide his fear. Sam pounded hopelessly on the metal gate, now a useless route. He would have to try and find another way out of there and back to his brother, while trying to avoid an encounter with Gordon. _Fat chance of that happening, _Sam thought miserably.

"Sam, be careful!" Sam heard his brother's muffled warning before turning around and gazing at the old torn down factory. _God, what else can go wrong tonight? _Just as soon as the sarcastic thought entered his mind, the light above Sam's head went out, engulfing him in darkness. Sam closed his eyes briefly and wondered not for the first time if there was a God, and if there was, he must have a wicked sense of humor. Sam's heart thrummed a little louder in his chest as he raised his machete and outstretched his left hand to stop himself from walking into anything. He needed to feel his way out of there, and he used the walls to get him to a location where he would be better able to fight off Gordon.

He could hear something moving, albeit quietly in the darkness just outside his meager line of vision. "Gordon, you got me where you want me. Might as well come out and fight!"

"I'm right here, Sam." Sam felt the blood tinged breath on the back of his neck and on instinct, turned around and swung the blade down, the 'swoosh' of the blade cutting through air like a knife through butter, but no Gordon. He had already moved elsewhere. Sam's heart beat a little faster in his chest, the sound of his blood pumping was loud in his ears. Gordon's malicious chuckle reverberated throughout the room, disguising his location. The sound caused a chill to race down Sam's spine and he gripped the machete a little tighter.

"What's the matter, Sammy?"

_What's the matter? Well the fact that I have your psychotic vampire ass trying to kill me happens to be a top priority on the pain-in-the-ass scale, _Sam thought sarcastically. Funny, how his thoughts sounded a lot like Dean's tirade from earlier….

"So this is the way you really want to do it huh?" Sam figured that it would come down to this. A final blow-out full of bruised knuckles, torn skin, blood splatter, and one victorious hunter.

"Damn right I do." Was Gordon's cocky response, his vampiric eyes never leaving his prey as he watched Sam continue to reach out for the walls to guide him as if he were blind, which in this case, he practically was. _Too easy. _Gordon's lips curved into a twisted smirk as he watched Sam place his back towards the wall, machete ready to slice right through his neck, if he could find purchase.

"You have no idea what I've faced, to get here. I lost _everything_… my life… but it's worth it, 'cause I'm finally going to kill the most dangerous thing I've ever hunted. You're not human Sam." Gordon spewed spiteful words, hoping to frighten, or better yet, piss off his target. For far too long, Sam Winchester had gotten away with a life he didn't deserve, a freak that wasn't even _human_ in his eyes. If it hadn't been for his brother, he would have taken care of Sam back in Lafayette with a bullet in his skull. But this, it seemed perhaps sweet justice that Gordon was going to kill the youngest Winchester with his bare hands, and finally put down the monster that the elder Winchester fought so hard to protect, to save, even though he wasn't worth the time or effort.

"Look who's talking." Sam knew the retort was pitiful, but the words Gordon threw at him hit a nerve. The words coincided with his own inner battle about who he was, and where he belonged in the world. The fact that he had demon blood inside him was enough to shake his belief on who he was or _what _he was, but as long as he had Dean nearby, he would find answers to his own past, and find solutions for his future, as well as his brother's salvation. A sudden movement to his left and Sam swung the machete down, connecting with machinery and the vibrations traveled from his weapon all the way to his shoulder, his arm shaking with the intensity of the hit. He pulled the weapon away, just as Gordon disappeared once again into the peripheral darkness.

"You're right. I'm a bloodthirsty killer." Gordon had no qualms about it. He wouldn't deny what he had become. He had evolved into the thing he had most enjoyed hunting. The monster he had slain time and time again, had finally bested Gordon Walker, but not before giving him one final gift. The gift of immortality, with its strength, speed, and a whole slew of new tricks to finally finish off the most dangerous hunt he would ever venture on, and he welcomed it with open arms.

"Don't talk about it like you don't have a choice." Sam couldn't understand how Gordon could so easily give _in _to his vampiric nature. _You always have a choice_, which happened to be Dean's mantra over the years, had really stuck with Sam, even more so since they had started hunting together after Dad's disappearance and Jess's death 2 years back.

"I don't." Gordon replied curtly. Sam had slowly worked his way back, trying to find a vantage point in which to take away Gordon's element of surprise, though Sam doubted that would be really possible.

"Yes you do Gordon. You didn't kill that girl." Sam tried to reason with the rabid hunter before him, desperately trying to appeal to any shred of humanity the man had left within his diseased body.

Gordon stopped at this. "No, I didn't." Sam's head turned towards the sound of Gordon's voice, finally pinpointing a location. For one moment, Sam thought that he had finally gotten through to Gordon. However, his next words not only destroyed that hopeful thought, but instilled an intense fear that coiled in the pit of Sam's stomach, fear for his brother who was in more danger than either of them realized.

"I did something much, much worse." Sam backed himself up into a corner, his heart now pounding against his rib cage. Adrenaline surged through his veins as he heard the sound of a gun shot go off in the distance. Sam's staccato breaths were the only noise within the now seemingly small factory floor.

"I gotta hand it to you Sam. You got a lot of people fooled. But see, I know the truth. I know what it's like. We're the same now, you and me. I know how it is, walking around with something evil inside you. It's just too bad you won't do the right thing and kill yourself. I'm gonna, soon as I'm done with you. Two last good deeds. Killin' you, and killing myself."

Sam allowed Gordon's words to wash over him. Some again hit sore points, like salt rubbing on an opened wound. Sam never saw himself as a 'monster'. He didn't see himself as evil either, but the thought of what he could have become terrified him. The demons words still tore at him in his sleep, the vision of the night the whole mess began with his mother's death, and the demon's blood contaminating his system still frightened him. But his brother's needs went above and beyond his own, and he would fight for Dean's soul, and worry about the fate of his own after Dean's was saved.

Sam felt the shift in the air, suddenly turning frigid, and Sam tightened his grip on the handle of his blade as he more or less felt Gordon's presence shift back into the shadows. Sam took up a defensive stance, and shifted his gaze from left to right while keeping his hearing sharp, trying to figure out where Gordon was going to strike next. He heard the low growl just seconds before he was tackled and shoved through the wall he had placed at his back.

Splintering wood followed Sam down to the cement floor, with Gordon's weight pushing him down hard and fast, knocking the wind out of him. His machete fell out of his hand as he hit the floor, and Gordon easily grabbed it and tossed the weapon away into the corner of the room. With inhuman strength, Gordon lifted Sam up by the collar of his jacket with lightening speed, and slammed him into the wooden wall, causing Sam to grunt as his back struck against the damaged wall. Splinters dug painfully into his back, before he found himself airborne and landing in a heap on a metal shelf, crushing it under his weight. Sam bit back a groan as one of the metal poles dug painfully between his shoulder blades. He could see Gordon's feet stealthily moving towards him, his gait confident and radiating hatred towards the man at his feet. Allowing his fangs to recede, Gordon decided to taunt the youngest Winchester a little more before allowing Sam's life to drain away.

"I'm surprised Sammy, that you let it get this far." Gordon gritted out as he fisted a hand into the front of Sam's jacket and easily plucked the younger man from his half sitting position, the metal creaking as its burden was lifted off its battered frame. Gordon lifted Sam up, until even Sam's toes were unable to find purchase on the ground.

"I mean, you're just a demon loving death omen. Just how many deaths have you caused by merely breathing?" Sam gritted his teeth and glared at Gordon, using his hands to try and pry Gordon's off of his jacket. Gordon just grinned at him in return, before tossing him into the center of the room, where Sam's whole left side careened into the rusted metal pole anchored by the floor and the ceiling. A loud ringing sound echoed throughout the room as Sam's body collided with steel. He gasped and shut his eyes as white hot pain radiated from his hip, up past his chest, and all the way to his left shoulder, where he had taken the brunt of the hit. His hand and forearm were numb from the impact. Sam gulped a few mouthfuls of air, trying his best to ride out the pain. Gordon knelt down in front of Sam, grabbing a fistful of Sam's hair and pulling his head back, forcing Sam's hazel eyes to look at his own blood red ones as Sam grunted at the contact.

"You're a parasite Sam, sucking the life out of everyone around you, and I'll be more than happy to rid the world of your plagueful existence." Gordon sneered down at the struggling man in front of him. He could hear Sam's heart pounding inside his chest, his blood rushing around in his veins, like rapid rivers after a storm, raging against the river's edge. His gaze rested on Sam's exposed neck, and Gordon's mouth twitched in anticipation from taking a drink of such a river, having his blood run down his throat, filling his mouth with the coppery taste of sweet victory.

Sam for his part, sat there cradling his arm to his chest, waiting for the feeling to return, while also trying to keep Gordon from pulling his head too far back and breaking his neck. Hearing Gordon's vial words, Sam felt anger bubbling under his skin. His nails scraped along the cold, cracked cement floor as his hand curled into a fist, as the monster in front of him decreed his death. Sam was for all intents and purposes, a patient man. So when Gordon finally let go of his grip on Sam's head and moved just far enough away from him, Sam struck. His knuckles hit Gordon's jaw bone with a solid smack, knocking Gordon sideways to the ground, giving Sam the time he needed to get back up on his feet, even when the world tilted as he stood up. Gordon gently rubbed his now tender jaw and stood back up slowly, keeping a wary eye on Sam as he fought to find his equilibrium.

"Gonna pay for that one Sammy." Gordon snarled as he lunged at Sam, who twisted out of the way as Gordon flew by. Not wasting any time, Sam swung his left leg out, catching Gordon in the side of his head as he turned around, sending him forwards into a nearby work table. Shaking away the dizziness, Gordon glanced down and picked up some heavy chains lying on the ground next to the table. He could hear Sam moving in for the next attack, and waited until he got close enough to strike back. Gordon spun around and landed a kick of his own, this time his foot connecting with Sam's lower ribcage. Gordon felt a rib or two slide out of place under his boot, and took pleasure in knowing his prey was going to hurt like hell before he would mercifully end his disease infested life. He wasted no time slamming his own fist into Sam's face, smiling as he heard a grunt of pain before Sam toppled sideways onto the unforgiving cement floor, his head the first to greet it.

Sam's eyes rolled around in his head, the world swirling into a mix of black dots and blue smudges. Sam's dazed mind heard the clinking of chains and a sense of foreboding hit him like a freight train, as footsteps casually made their way toward him from behind. Sam had barely reached a standing position when he felt his throat constrict as the rusty metal chains were pulled tight around his throat, biting into his tender flesh. Sam's eyes bulged as his jaw dropped open to try and compensate and draw in more oxygen. His body heaved in and out, broken ribs and all desperately trying to take in air that his body hungered for just as his hands clawed at the metal rings clasped around his neck. Gordon pulled tighter on the chains, eliciting a strangled gasp before he leaned in, whispering into Sam's ear. "I'm going to make it slow and painful, Winchester. Then when you're finished, I'll go and take out that stubborn ass brother of yours. Can't have a demon loving hunter walking amongst us, can I? I'll make him stare at your dead eyes as I let his blood pool out over the floor. I'll make him beg for a bullet before he bleeds out, Sam, and that's a promise."

If possible, Sam's eyes grew wider, the implications of his brother's death at the hands of this monster was unbearable. Sam refused to have his brother gaze at his corpse again, destroying what was left of his brother's fragile world. With fierce determination, Sam used what strength he had, dipped his head forward and snapped it back, hitting Gordon right in the face. Gordon dropped the chains and covered his face with his hands as Sam gulped a lungful of air, fighting against the black spots dancing in front of his eyes. He could hear Gordon growling in pain behind him, and Sam knew he had to act fast before he recovered. Sam drove his elbow backwards, right into Gordon's midsection, driving any air out of Gordon's lungs as he tipped forward, clutching his abdomen. Sam dropped his right shoulder, allowing his arm to lower closer to the ground, as if reaching for something, when he pulled his elbow upwards, smashing it under Gordon's chin and hearing a crunching sound as his head snapped back from the impact. Sam used the momentum to deliver a left hook, and watched as Gordon crumpled to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

Sam continued to heave in gulps of air, grimacing as it ignited his pain receptors with each and every breath he drew in. Draping an arm around his damaged ribs, Sam eyed Gordon warily, his body still splayed out on the oil stained floor. It came as a sudden shock when Gordon suddenly sat up, causing Sam to recoil back a step or two. What had Sam staring in morbid awe was the way Gordon's neck jutted out to the left, his head resting on his right shoulder at an awkward angle. To Sam, it reminded him of a slinky that had a ring out of place, causing the whole thing to topple to one side. Gordon merely laughed, the chuckles causing a chill to race up and down Sam's spine. Sam watched in shock as Gordon placed his right hand at the back of his skull and his left on his forehead and pulled until his head snapped back into correct alignment. He then twisted his head to the left and then to the right, both times eliciting snaps as his vertebrae lined itself back into the right place.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Sam muttered exasperatedly, as he moved back a few more steps as Gordon pushed off from the ground with his hands and once again into a standing position. Gordon grinned maliciously as he began to circle around Sam, like a lion circling around its next meal.

"Fun time's over Sammy. Let's get down to business, shall we?" Sam had no warning when Gordon lashed out, his fist driven into his damaged ribs, displacing the broken shards of bone even further away from their original setting. Sam doubled over, and Gordon latched onto the back of Sam's jacket and pulled, tossing Sam backwards and letting him fly right into the corner of a large metal shelving area, holding an assortment of tools, boxes and other items scattered on its gray platforms. The side of Sam's head clipped the edge of one shelf, before crashing down in front of it. The contact split the skin over his right eye open, blood running rivulets down the right side of his face and sliding down between his eye and his nose, before dripping off his top lip onto the cold floor.

Gordon casually walked over to where Sam was propped up against the shelving unit, his knuckles cracking as he clenched and unclenched his fists. With one hand, he bent down and grabbed Sam's jacket, lifting him up and off the floor, before flinging him into the adjacent wall, Sam's damaged shoulder and head slamming into it with brutal force. Sam heard a crack and felt a pop before fire was racing up and down his arm and shoulder. He groaned in agony as the blood spewed out of his mouth, his teeth having sunk into and through his bottom lip during the last fall. He could feel some of the blood sliding down his throat and he tried not to gag. He managed a few small intakes of air despite the pain, the chains having left vivid bruises all along his neck and leaving his throat feeling constricted, making breathing as painful as swallowing broken glass. Sam had only lifted his head above the floor a few inches before he felt himself being grabbed by his dislocated arm and dragged over to the workbench. Sam couldn't help but scream in agony as pain shot up and down his arm, while his chest protested being dragged on the floor as the rough movements jarred his damaged ribs. Blood droplets let a trail along the floor as Gordon dragged him towards the far wall; a spot that would be easy for the elder Winchester to see when he finally walked in to find his brother's beaten and bloody corpse. Then Gordon would finish him off just as he did his brother.

Gordon was just about finished with the demon tainted hunter. Every step he took was one closer to taking out the most cunning and dangerous prey he'd ever hunted, and it was a trophy he'd be proud of even after he killed himself. Every whimper or scream he got from the younger man was another twisted taste of victory. Gordon dropped the youngest Winchester and watched him as he tried to take in air, the wheezing becoming more prominent as his throat threatened to swell shut. Gordon knelt down in front of Sam, grabbing his collar and shoving his back against the wall, grinning as he heard Sam's head connect with a solid thunk.

"Guess this is the end Sammy. It's been fun, man, it really has. Guess I'll say goodbye to your brother for you, letting him know that you screamed his name before you died."

Sam lifted his head from his chest and glared at Gordon, even when Gordon's face seemed to fade in and out as the world took on a gray appearance. Gordon laughed, the sound echoing in the large room.

"Stubborn right to the end Winchester. I'll give you that. Tell your Dad I said hey." Gordon gripped Sam's jacket and pulled him forward, just as his fangs descended, his lips twitching in hunger as the smell of blood overwhelmed his senses. A second later, his fangs sank deep into Sam's neck, his teeth poking then sliding through Sam's skin. He felt the blood pool out of the puncture wounds around his teeth and the warm sticky liquid slide over his tongue and down his throat, his hunger ravenous and vengeful all in one. The sound of a strangled whimper from the defeated Winchester was just the icing on the cake for the hunter, and he savored it like the blood around his lips as he drank his victory in delight.

Sam could feel Gordon's teeth sink deep into his skin, and immediately felt white hot pain race along his neck all the way to his head, and he couldn't help but whimper as the pain overrode any other injuries he had sustained. Nothing compared to the feeling of suffocating and bleeding out all at once. The world tilted suddenly and Sam was forced to close his eyes as he tried to stay in the conscious realm, even as he felt his blood being sucked out of his veins and the chill of death beginning to creep into his bones. Sam felt hot tears brimming in his eyes, but refused to let them fall. He was not afraid of dying. No, he was afraid for Dean, afraid his brother would soon follow him to the grave, whether by Gordon's hands or not. It was a loss so devastating, that it felt as if his own soul was being cleaved in half. He could only hope his brother would find a way to free himself from the deal, find a way to live and move on, though he doubted his brother would do any of those things.

His blood pumped sluggishly now through his veins, and he knew it wasn't going to be long until it stopped moving completely, or until Gordon drained every last drop. Then he felt searing pain as Gordon pulled back, his teeth pulling themselves out of his neck with such force he gasped as he slumped backwards against the wall, trying to find the energy to open his eyes. When he sluggishly opened his eyes, he was met with Gordon's piercing blood red ones, only there was a look of shock slapped across Gordon's face, and that had Sam baffled. Gordon lifted his hands up, both shaking as he stared at them, and Sam couldn't figure out what was going on. That is, until he noticed Gordon's veins turning a deep black color all over his hands. Sam's eyes widened in shock as he watched the veins in his neck bulge, dark lines racing up towards his face. Sam had seen this kind of reaction before and there was no denying what was happening to Gordon now; Dead man's blood.

Like hot tar, his veins darkened throughout his body, and Gordon felt as though he were on fire. He stared at his hands, watching as his veins bulged with the toxin and raced up his body, burning everything in its path. His blood red eyes locked with Sam's glazed over hazel ones and his hatred for the boy grew. He heard pounding footsteps coming their way and Gordon could not move, the pain gluing him there and immobilizing his muscles as the poison swirled in his bloodstream, attacking his cells and causing them to explode throughout his veins.

Sam kept eye contact with Gordon, the cold glare sending chills down Sam's spine just as it chilled the blood that slid down his neck. Sam could hear his brother's steps racing towards their direction, and Sam felt relief surge through him, even when black spots drifted dangerously into his vision. The poison had infected Gordon's entire body and Sam wondered if the veins in Gordon's head would explode from the obvious pressure building in his veins.

"SAM!" Dean's distressed call rang out in the large room, but neither Gordon nor Sam looked around to see where exactly it was coming from. Both locked gazes with each other, both hating and loathing each other at a level most would not understand nor experience. Gordon tried to speak, Sam's blood falling from his lips, but was unable to make any sound other than a small choking sound. Sam could feel his brother's presence, and heard the sound of the Colt's safety being pulled back.

"Hey! Get the hell away from my brother." Gordon didn't even flinch at the murderous tone.

"See ya around Sam." Gordon whispered and stared right into Sam's eyes and smirked, his eyes never leaving Sam's even as the sound of a gunshot went off and the bullet entered the side of Gordon's head.

Sam watched as Gordon's head rocked side to side from the shot. His eyes never left Sam's, even as the bullet splattered Gordon's brain all over the inside of his skull, the blood dribbling out the sides of his head from the entry and exit wounds, as the Colt's energy crackled and killed the diabolic hunter from the inside out. Gordon slid to the ground with a thud, and the room took on an eerie silence, as the blood pooled beneath Gordon's sprawled form. Sam heard Dean calling to him and felt Dean shake his shoulder, but the darkness had taken the youngest Winchester away as Sam's chin rested on his chest and he knew no more.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

It was light filtering in from the half drawn curtains that splayed across Sam's bed that caused him to stir, the light flickering over his bruised and battered face. Consciousness was slowly returning, and with it a body riddled with pain. Sam groaned, his fingers curling around the bed sheet as he turned his head away from the light, a headache already beginning to form. He could tell by the feel of the bed's material beneath his fingers and the smell of antiseptic that he was in a hospital. The sound of a chair scraping along the floor just off to his right caught his attention and he turned towards the sound. His head felt like it was full of thick clay, heavy and dull enough to cloud any form of intelligence he might have had. He felt himself beginning to fall back into that welcoming abyss, when a voice garnered his attention.

"Come on Sam, nap time's over."

_Dean?_ Sam forced his eyes to open, feeling like his lids were fighting a couple hundred tons of gravity just to open them up to half mast. Rather, only one of his eyes as his left one was swollen shut. Sam blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision, trying to rid the haze that occupied his vision. Finally his gaze fell upon Dean's face, a mass of worry and relief covering his normally stoic features. Dean leaned forward on his seat, his hands resting on the bars of Sam's bed.

"Hey. How are ya feeling Sam?"

Sam chuckled at what he felt was an absurd question, then started coughing as pain radiated up and down his throat. After the coughing fit, Sam relaxed back onto his pillow, rubbing his throat tenderly.

"Yeah, your throat's going to be a bit sore for a while there Sam. The chains…." Dean paused, the memory coming back with perfect, and yet horrific clarity. The images had long since burned into his mind, like snippets of film replaying itself over and over without an end in sight. Dean swallowed his own fears and continued on. "…definitely caused a bit of damage there bro. They had to place a tube down your throat to make sure your airway didn't close off completely. Lucky for you they took it out not too long ago. But hey, chicks dig wounded guys, so you might be in for some luck, Sammy." Dean grinned, while Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head at his brother's one track mind.

"Dean." Sam's voice croaked and Dean cringed at the sound.

"Here, hold on." Dean reached over to the small bedside table and lifted the small water jug and poured some cool water into a small cup and handed it to Sam.

"Small sips dude." Dean chided as he placed the jug back down and watched tentatively as Sam took small sips of water, grimacing as the first droplets of water slid down his swollen throat, chilling the tender flesh. After that, the water soothed his throat and brought the pain down to a tolerable level. Sam handed the cup back to Dean and nodded his thanks in return. They sat quietly for a few moments, until Sam decided to break the silence.

"So what happened, Dean?"

Dean stopped pulling the threads out of the knee of his jeans and sighed. _Freaking Cold Oak all over again. _Dean felt sick just thinking about it. Sam was still looking at him, waiting for Dean to answer. Dean rested his hands on the railing and took a deep breath. "Well after that gate closed…."

_Dean grabbed a metal pole, smashing it hard against the pulley system that locked his brother inside. Acknowledging that it wouldn't budge, Dean tossed it onto the ground, hearing it clatter on the floor. Hearing deep breathing from behind him, Dean found himself face to face with the girl they had been there to save, only the girl now hissed between a new set of vampire fangs. She tossed Dean to the ground and he back peddled a few feet, before pulling the Colt from the back of his jeans and pulling the trigger. He watched the girl's head snap back from the impact, before sliding down the gated wall, a blood smear following her all the way down. _

_Dean took a few steadying breaths, before getting up and moving around to the other side of the building, looking for any windows or doors that he could barge in through and beat the holy crap out of Gordon. He would make it decidedly painful before he blew his brains out if he even so much as touched a hair on his brother's head. Dean's footsteps grew louder, and he didn't care if he was heard. His brother's well-being was the only thing on his mind. Finally, after just a few minutes, Dean came across a battered looking door. Dean quickly turned the knob and found that it was locked. _

"_For the love of..." Dean grumbled angrily as he pulled out his kit began picking the lock. Within 20 seconds he had the door open and was charging head first into the pitch black. Dean was at the very back of the warehouse, and had a general sense of where they might be. Pulling out his flashlight from his pocket, Dean made his way quickly back to the front of the building. Hearing items crashing onto the floor and his brother's scream, Dean ran down the narrow passageway, not bothering to conceal his presence. _

"_SAM!" The sudden silence that encompassed the area left the hairs on Dean's neck standing on end. _

"_No, no, no, no, no." Dean muttered fearfully as he reached the last room on the left. Gun in hand, Dean moved into the room, his gaze locked intently on the monster in front of him. He couldn't see Sam very well from this angle, but the intense glare Gordon was giving Sam was unnerving. _

"_Hey! Get the hell away from my brother." Dean pulled back the hammer, aimed and fired, and watched as his shot rammed into the side of Gordon's skull and blasted out the other end, the loud crackles of energy from the bullet dying down to small jolts of electricity as his body slumped to the ground. Dean quickly moved passed Gordon's body and moved over to his brother and bit back tears at the state his little brother was in. Blood raced down his face like small rivers, his whole right side of his face covered in blood. Vivid bruises on his face and neck stood out against the chalky color of his skin. His right eye was already swollen and puffy. His jacket was soaked in blood and his neck had the coppery liquid pooling around his puncture wounds. Small red droplets were already dripping onto the floor all around Sam, and Dean felt bile rising in his throat. All he could see was blood. "Sam? Sammy?" Dean gently shook Sam's shoulder, but Sam didn't reply. His head lolled on his shoulders each time Dean shook him. Dean reached out and shakily placed two fingers on Sam's carotid artery, and let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding when he felt movement beneath his fingers. Dean didn't know what kind of damage Gordon had done, but it was beyond Dean's capabilities. Internal injuries were a high possibility, and there was no way Dean was taking a chance with Sam's health. Dean kept a calm hand on his brother's shoulder as he called for an ambulance. He would deal with Gordon and the cops later, after he took care of Sam. Dean sat down beside his brother and kept an eye on Sam's vital signs while he waited for the flashing lights to show up. _

"_Just hang in there Sam. I'm gonna take care of you, okay?" _

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Dean told Sam an abridged version, not wanting to have to relive all the details again. Sam seemed satisfied with the answer, and Dean was thankful that Sam wasn't pressing for more info. When Sam threw off the sheets and tried to get out of bed, Dean was at his side in an instant, gently pushing his brother back into bed.

"Dude, where the hell do you think you're going?" Dean asked incredulously. Sam gave him an exasperated look.

"Dean, I can't stay here. The Feds may have already been alerted and we cannot afford to have another run in with Henricksen." Dean merely shook his head and pulled the blankets back over his brother.

"Don't worry about that Sam. From the colorful descriptions your doctor gave me about your injuries, you really shouldn't be leaving this bed for a week." Noting the look of incredulity on Sam's face, Dean rolled his eyes.

"Don't get your boxers in a knot Sam. Just give it another day or two and I'll spring you loose from here, alright? Don't worry about it Sam, I got it covered. Just humor me, okay?" Sam sighed, and nodded his head. He did trust his brother, always had when his brother said he had things under control. But it wasn't only his apprehension of the Feds that had Sam wanting to race for the doors…

"Sam? I'm just going to grab a coffee from down the hall. You need anything?"

Sam shook his head and Dean quietly slipped out the door. Sam leaned his head back onto his pillow and let out a long sigh. He could feel the tight bandages around his ribs, and the way the material made his skin itchy. His left shoulder was in a sling, taking the pressure off of his shoulder and he didn't like it. But he figured in a few days he wouldn't need it. He hated the feeling of being constrained. What was troubling Sam now was what had happened back in the warehouse. How had Gordon gotten dead man's blood into his system? Had his own blood had something to do with that? Had coming back from the dead changed him in a way he hadn't considered? He had died, after all. Did this have to do with the demonic blood inside of him? Sam wasn't sure he wanted to know. Not many people had come back from the dead and lived to tell the tale. Did he now have immunity against vampires and anything else with a weakness against the blood of a dead man? All these questions danced around in Sam's head, each one more troubling than the last. It was conceivable, that when he died, his blood became a weapon against vampires, just as anyone's blood would. Only when he was revived, this hidden weapon was still circulating around in his veins, a new form of protection, a kind of disturbing protection, but protection none the less.

Sam was interrupted from his morbid thoughts when he heard the door open. He watched his brother walk in and situate himself on the plastic chair beside his bed.

Dean looked at him quizzically and asked, "Hey, you okay Sammy?"

Sam didn't really know how to answer that. He was unnerved to say the least about this latest development, and one he was not willing to share with his brother at the moment. No, Dean didn't need any more stress placed on his already heavily burdened shoulders. Unless this incident came up again down the road, Sam would keep his thoughts and theories to himself. Besides, Dean was here now, his only family left, and wasn't that the important thing? He still had a few months left to change his brother's fate, and that's exactly what he intended to do. Giving his brother a small smile, Sam nodded his head and answered his brother's call.

"Yeah Dean, I'll be fine."

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**A/N: Well guys, let me know what you think!! Many thanks.**


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